Books like The Society of Unknowable Objects

This is a stellar, near-perfect debut novel. It is WWII-era historical fiction, mixed with magical realism. It is also staunchly feminist, and provides a stark glimpse of the similarities between Hitler's rise and Trump's. And unlike many historical fiction novels or debuts, it avoids the biggest pitfalls and tropes: It does not use WWII as a backdrop for romance; it does not provide a bloodless, tragic, sterile view of war or the acts committed; while its FMC is young, she's not a rom-com trope or out to "find herself."

What's amazing about this debut effort is it reads like the work of an accomplished author. The characters are fully fleshed and compelling, the pacing is perfectly on point, and the story and world were richly written. I read it in two days, and had difficulty putting it down.

Excellent debut novel, with both deep character development, and twist I absolutely did not see coming. (this is high praise, because I read a lot, and am VERY jaded by crappy "twists")

I would recommend this book to fans of "The Midnight Library," or books with themes of grappling with grief, letting go, and character introspection. My only complaint is that the title is frankly terrible. It makes the book sound like it's a women's historical fiction about a cozy book club. Which it is not.

I want to acknowledge right at the start that some troubling accusations have come to light about Neil Gaiman. I completely respect someone’s decision to avoid his books if that seems right to them. I struggle with the alleged actions of the author and find that I still love this novel.

For younger readers (and those who love books for younger readers), this novel introduces us to the tender side of the uncanny. A community of ghosts who raise an orphaned boy. A vampire and a werewolf who become his mentors and guardians. Once again, we are invited to see death as a natural part of life.

And, oh my gosh, is this novel funny! And charming, and lyrical, and beautiful.

I love the way the magic moves through this novel in quiet, intimate ways.

It’s never flashy, nor is the magic there only for the sake of excitement. It whispers a twisted love. It’s dreadful and beautiful, both to Addie LaRue and to the reader. Because of it, Addie changes. Addie lives in our world, in historical times and today, and the magic exists in our world. 

One of the things I love about literary fantasy is that the main characters have true emotional arcs. We’re drawn into their experiences because we care about them. The questions they ask themselves are ones we all ask: Who do I want to be? What makes life meaningful? What do we owe the people we love?

This is a great adventure with high stakes, both for the world and for the main character.

She is an ordinary person who rises to the moment again and again when she must. She’s scared, but she’s brave. She’s resilient and clever. She’s really lovable.

In this novel, magic suffuses the world through a secret society. And the power is in books. I mean, we all know the power of books, right? And here, as in Addie LaRue, magic has consequences. It can be beautiful and create lovely connections between and among people. And it can also wreak untold destruction.

Bottom line, I loved the concept and the characters equally.

This novel blends genres in a masterful way.

It’s magical realism, romance, fantasy, horror, and action-adventure. And none of the genres is given short shrift. Again, a magical society threatens the world as we know it, as well as the main character. The main character, a flawed human being, learns her own worth, rises above her limitations, and finds the courage to act. And to love. 

I found this novel to be rich in ideas, a wonderful insight into the early days of WWII in London, full of delightfully quirky characters, truly scary in a real-stakes way (not the cheap-scare thriller way), and truly moving.

Caveat to the reader: it ends on a cliffhanger. If you can’t bear waiting, don’t start this novel until the next one is published. 

Again, as with all the books I’ll mention, magic simply enters the “real world” with little fanfare.

We don’t have to go to a fairy realm or parallel universe or anywhere besides the world we live in. We don’t have to learn a whole new system of existence or memorize names that are impossible to pronounce and have far too many consonants. Magic is here, all around us.

Why this book in particular? I love novels that allow us to look at our own mortality and find hope. The Midnight Train takes us backstage at the moment of death and allows us to see the beauty of life, with all its mistakes and messiness and heartache.

Here too, the main character asks the important questions that make life meaningful.